the DisplacementMapFilter looks at the pixel values of its active channel and DOES NOT multiply that value by the alpha. so, if you have a gradient going from full alpha to no alpha, the filter does not care--all it cares about are the pre-multiplied pixel values

So if you try using a displacement map with a gradient that depends on alpha, it will ignore the gradient

After a couple of hackish workarounds (using merge and the ColorMatrixFilter), I hit upon a simple solution:

1) Make the initial map transparent before you create a gradient for it

1st=new Bitmap(w, h, true, 0x00FFFFFF)//true--so it is transparent

2) then create the texture in the new Bitmap and overlay a gradient however you like

3) Then create another bitmap that is opaque, and draw() the initial map

cos f8 has changed it from a long time, Bitmapdata masks are not an AS3 new object.
Pet theory was asking how to do in AS3 some old f8 stuff

That's why I said I stand corrected.

How can Flash 8 be old, it's the most current version IDE and the player won't be used by most of the population for some time yet. Adoption of player upgrades is slower than people would like to admit, especially with the lies and deception aboard the internet fear train.

How can Flash 8 be old, it's the most current version IDE and the player won't be used by most of the population for some time yet. Adoption of player upgrades is slower than people would like to admit, especially with the lies and deception aboard the internet fear train.

The latest is f9 alpha.Thats what pros should be learning.
Adoption of fplayer 8 was the fastest and bigger of all history of flash player
But this has nothing to do with the case
What pet theory was asking to other developers was how to make in f9 something already possible in f8, the goal was to learn this f9 thing,so for learning porpouses doesnt matter if the adoption of fp8 was slow or fast
This is all off topic, anyway.